June 2012 – Bulla (piece of clay used for sealing a document or object) stamped with the city name of Bethlehem, dating from the First Temple period, was discovered in Jerusalem’s City of David excavations.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of the Existence of the City of Bethlehem already in the First Temple Period
While sifting soil from archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the City of David, in the “Walls around Jerusalem National Park”, a bulla was discovered bearing the name of the city, written in ancient Hebrew script.
The first ancient artifact constituting tangible evidence of the existence of the city of Bethlehem, which is mentioned in the Bible, was recently discovered in Jerusalem.
(Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority)
